Far From Me
by ifwallscouldspeak
Summary: He is everything she wants; she is everything he's not. Idea that sprung while listening to the song MakeDamnSure by Taking Back Sunday NejiTen. A drabbling collection that could be read together or separately.
1. Missions

Title: Too Far From Me

Rank: T

Summery: He is everything she wants; she is everything he's not. Idea that sprung while listening to the song _MakeDamnSure_ by Taking Back Sunday NejiTen. A drabbling collection that could be read together or separately.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything. Not even my own computer. –sighs-

_You are everything I want_

_Cause you are everything I'm not_

**Chapter One: Missions**

It is said that after the original genin teams are broken up, each ninja develops a pattern for the type of mission they take if given the chance. Shino will only take missions that have him traveling far from the village so he can study all types of insects. Choji never wants to be too far from home, because he still believes his mother's cooking outshines all others. It is common knowledge, but never discussed too thoroughly. Everyone knows that ninja do whatever they can to keep their sanity and humanity, and having things repeat themselves gives a sense of normalcy.

Tenten of the former Team Gai prefers missions that have her traveling at night. When asked, she says it is because she likes the element of surprise of the night. Some might find the ever-present darkness of life outside villages suffocating, but not Tenten.

She always explains the night sky as "so black and inky that it looks close enough to touch and feel silk, but still just out of reach."

Many people accept this reason for her always staring up inside of anywhere else on these nocturnal missions.

However, she enjoys the quiet the most, the kind that is only found in the dark of night. Even if it is snowing, or hailing, or windy, or still, there is always a calming in the quiet that is in such contrast to her own boisterous nature.

"It reminds me to slow down and appreciate what is in front of me," she is quoted as saying to Sai before a mission that started at dusk to retrieve scrolls from the Sand.

That being said, many have noticed that Tenten is a far more amiable companion when there is a full moon in the sky.

"It's just so wrong when there are only pieces of it," she once said to Sakura as they strolled through Konoha after the cherry blossom parade was over. "When the moon is full, everything just feels right. It takes on that almost-lavender hue. It's the most beautiful thing in the world. I could just stare for hours. It makes me feel protected, like there's someone watching over me."

Neji, also of the former Team Gai, is the complete opposite. He much prefers missions that are short and quick, and can be finished in one day, where the sun is still high and beating on the back of his neck. Some might find the ever-powerful exuberant sun and the wildlife that come out during the day annoying, but not this Hyuga.

No one quite knows why, but there an acceptable explanation was found by Shikamaru, who had stumbled upon Neji mediating on his favorite cloud-watching hill on a 104 degree day.

"I do not understand why you stare at the clouds," the usually stoic ninja had said, cracking open one opaque eye to stare at Shikamaru. "I would much rather feel the heat of the sun on my face."

"The sun's not so great," the lazy ninja mumbled, wondering if he should be offended. "It never changes the way clouds do. It's just… there."

Neji had shrugged. "But when it moves, it always looks like it is jumping through the sky, dancing through the treetops. Following you, watching out for you, keeping you safe. Reminding you to be warm, to be human."

Shikamaru just stared at this impassioned reply.

Neji smirked, and then closed one eye to resume mediating. "Perhaps I am just biased, because I know the sun will always be there to watch over my blind spot."

It was the longest conversation the two had ever had.


	2. Home Turf

**Chapter Two: Home Turf**

There is a false rumor around every ninja village that those who protect them could care less about what part of town they live in. In reality, ninjas care more about their houses and home then about a lot of things in their lives. The dwelling place of a ninja is the only place that he or she can relax and be completely comfortable. Homes are decorated very carefully; they provide maximum comfort and that loving feeling that is often loss when one has to often kill without mercy. Homes help ninjas retain their humanity. Often, ninja will hire people to restock their fridges during missions, so that they can always pretend that they never left their houses.

Like many shinobi, Tenten chose her apartment complex because of the comfort it provided. There are indoor laundry facilities, a swimming pool, and even tennis courts. Tenten has never played tennis herself, but it is a game that she enjoys watching, especially when Gai and Rock Lee have a go at it after she has had them over for dinner. Her two-bedroom, one bath apartment is roomy and only a little bit pricy, but even at seventeen, the weapons mistress is always in high demand, so there are no monetary issues.

That being said, her apartment, although big and bright, has an appearance of being cluttered. Her scrolls and weapons are always lying around, just one misstep from taking off a foot or an entire leg. Her furniture is all too big and overstuffed, and pictures covered every inch of her walls.

"I don't even know what color the paint is," she would joke around when new guests were brought to her home.

Although her parents were at first skeptical at allowing her to move out on her own so early, Tenten persuaded them easily. They knew she was a smart kinochi, and could handle pretty much anything. Although she enjoyed living on her own, she always had people coming in and out of her welcoming house.

In contrast, Neji was not allowed to choose his own home. Even as a branch member, he was expected to live at the Compound. Granted, his position in the family meant that his rooms were further back from the hustle that surrounded his cousin's rooms, giving a slice of privacy that every other main branch member envies. Neji's quarters are closer to the back of the house, in his own wing on the second floor. His room was sparse, with little decoration but the pictures in elegant frames that he kept on his dresser. He certainly knows the neutral colors of the walls, the carpet, and the varnish on all of his furniture, and he likes it this way.

Lee always jokes that the room is "too calm" to be in, and that he sticks out like a green thumb.

Neither of his teammates have the heart to tell him that he always sticks out.

Even though both ninja seem perfectly content in their own homes, there have been too many incidents where they are not found in their prospective homes.

"You've been spending a lot of time here at the compound," Hinata mentioned once to Tenten, when they were both in the kitchen.

"You have better food," Tenten responded, taking a carton of cherries out the fridge and disappearing in the direction of Neji's room.

Another time, Ino noticed Neji had been going to Tenten's house often at night.

"Hey stud," she said, jokingly wiggling her eyebrows at the Hyuga. "Been over here quite a lot."

Neji stared coolly at her while knocking on Tenten's door. "This building has better television reception than at the compound."

The door was shut firmly in Ino's face.


	3. Traditions

**Chapter Three: Tradition**

In a village of prestigious shinobi families, Konoha is known for their traditions. The festivals, the holidays, everything is set and accounted for in the tradition category. Of course, some traditions are more fun then others. One of these, said to be started by the Second Hokage, is the tattooing of shinobi. It is rumored that each ninja of the Leaf must get a tattoo to represent themselves in case a body needs to be identified. Most ninja do more than that though; there is another rumor going around that all shinobi seem to be masochists, and there's nothing to love more than needle into skin. The thing about body art, though, is that it quickly gives people away, so most is hidden away under clothes, with the exception of one dog-nin and the most recent Kazekage.

It's a well-known fact that Tenten adores pandas. So, when she decided to finally get her ink done at nineteen, no one was surprised when she said that was what she was getting.

Similarly, when Neji went into the parlor with his old teammate and said he wanted a bird in mid-flight, none were surprised, considering his issues with feeling caged.

Lee was supposed to get his ink done with the duo, but he had been called away on a mission to the Land of Iron. It was probably for the best; the man was still uncertain over what he wanted.

The two went one at a time, and survived the inking like the true shinobi they were. To this day, though, their artist always has a twinkle in his eye as he denies the rumor that Neji cried when the needle touched his skin.

It was a surprise, though, when the two exited the tattoo place after six hours, that they refused to show anyone their new ink.

"I don't want to take the wrappings off yet," Tenten said to Kiba.

"I don't want the sun to make it start fading faster!" Tenten said to Choji.

"I don't want anyone to see it until it's set in," Tenten said to Naruto.

Neji said nothing, just "hn"ned at everyone.

It was not until the two were safely in Tenten's house with the curtains drawn that their new ink saw the light of day.

And, if Neji happened to stroke Tenten's hip bone, after seeing that a panda that may or may not have large off-white eyes is imprinted, no one else knew about it.

And, if Tenten kissed Neji on the lips for the first time after seeing that the sleek brown sparrow oh his shoulder blade held a kunai in one claw, it was no one else's business.


	4. Hands

**Chapter Four: Hands**

All the girls in the village were always marveling at Neji's hands. Even the guys were curious about the Gentle Fist user's weapons of choice. For someone who used his hands quite often, and was damn good at doing so, they bore no calluses.

Of course, they were strong, and defined muscles proved that, as was the rest of his body. But unlike the other ninjas, his palms and fingertips were not rough with years of practice. They were smooth, like an artist's. There was speculation that Hinata was a master of creating a salve that kept all the members of the elite family with smooth hands, but this has neither been confirmed nor denied by the shy heiress.

"Do Neji's hands feel like silk touching you?" Ino asked Tenten one day, as they strolled to the ramen stand.

Tenten choked, her eyes going wide. "Wh-what?"

"When you two are sparring," Ino said, her face wrinkling in confusion. "And he manages to lay at hit on you. Does it feel like silk?"

Tenten shook her head. "Neji hits too hard to make it feel like anything other than a rock or something."

That same day, Neji was walking with Lee from the Hokage's office. They had been called to go on a special mission in a few days to the Village Hidden Among the Rocks.

"Lady Tsunade has barely any rough edges," Lee pondered out loud. "She reminds me more of a bartender than a political leader."

"Probably because of all the alcohol she has stashed around her office," Neji muttered.

"It's just weird, cause her hands are so rough," Lee continued. "When she handed me the scrolls, it was like sandpaper. Our youthful leader should invest in some hand lotion."

"At least her nails aren't long too," Neji said absent-mindedly.

Lee turned to him, a bewildered look on his face. "What does that have to do with this? She wouldn't have scratched me while giving me the scrolls."

Neji shrugged. "No, I guess she wouldn't have."

Lee continued to look at his best friend with a strange look on his face. "Then why did you bring it up?"

Neji sighed. "I was just trying to contribute to the conversation."

Lee seemed to accept this. "I don't think I would want to be touched by someone with rough hands, you know… in the springtime of love and… lust… kind of way."

Neji regarded him carefully. "Hn?"

It was Lee's turn to shrug. "I'm rough enough. Why would I want my partner to be rough too?"

Neji grinned. "It has its advantages."

Later that night, when Neji and Tenten were sitting on her building's roof, Tenten reached out her hand towards his. They were facing each other, sitting crossed legged, the night sky expanded above them towards forever.

"Ino asked me if they felt like silk, when we spar," Tenten said, tracing her fingers across his palms. He shivered. "I told her they felt like rocks."

Neji smirked, as her index finger traced over his life line. "Lee told me he wouldn't want a partner with rough hands."

"Oh yeah?" Tenten asked, sliding her fingers up his arm to his shoulder.

Neji had trouble focusing. "I told him it had its advantages."

She grinned at him, her other arm slowly sliding up his to grip his other shoulder.

"And did Lee ask what those advantages were?" Tenten asked, leaning closer to him and dropping her voice.

"No," Neji said leaning in too, his hands slowly sliding to her waist to pull her closer to him. "But if he did…"

"If he did, what?" Tenten said, trying to continue the conversation, but not really thinking clearly now that Neji's hands were on her.

Neji whispered, "I would have told him that rough hands show that the person uses her hands quite a bit, and knows how to use them… well."

Tenten blushed, and moved one of her hands off of his shoulder to cup his face. "I don't know. I like soft hands myself. They just feel…"

Neji's lips ghosted over hers, a smile forming on his mouth.

"Like rocks?" He muttered to her.

Tenten smiled back against his lips. "Better than rocks."

When she kissed him, and his hand gripped her waist tightly, she decided that they felt much better than silk too.


	5. Elements

**Chapter 5: Elements**

She was fire.

The way she danced around with her weapons, popping here and there to attack, glinting so bright in the sun light, moving as easily as the air around her fueled her on... yes, it all pointed to her being fire.

Everything she did, she did with a burning passion. Of course, she sometimes ran low on adrenaline, but those periods never lasted very long. She was always moving. Always growing higher. Always burning brighter.

Sometimes she was the burning coals at the bottom of a hot heap, simmering, waiting to spark. Sometimes she was the smoke, coiling high and surreptitiously, waiting to strike.

But always, she was a flame.

He was water.

The way he flowed into every movement, sometimes rough and powerful, sometimes clean, simple movements, always twisting and moving his body to do as much damage as possible; yes, he was definitely water.

Everything he did, he did with an admirable calmness about him. Sometimes his energy trickled slowly in, but usually he was a raging force, bursting through a dam. He was always going. Always moving swiftly. Always flowing strongly.

Sometimes, he was an ice block, calculating, steady, waiting to melt. Sometimes he was the mist, proceeding with caution, surrounding, waiting to come out of no where.

But always, he was water.

Maybe that's why they worked so well together. Although so very different, they complemented each other. Fire and Water. Coals and Ice. Smoke and Mist. They just seemed to belong together, no matter how illogical it was. He put out her heat when he was too hot; she helped to melt his frozen demeanor. It seemed that they were just destined to be together, always fighting, always supporting.

When thinking about how both had been assigned to Team Gai, it only made sense. The two of them helped to complete the elemental circle. After all, their sensei was air, always fueling them on, always giving them breath, and their fellow team member and friend was earth, keeping everyone grounded and giving them a home to always fall to. The four of them completed each other, Neji and Tenten especially.

Maybe that's why none of the villagers were surprised Tenten and Neji walked hand in hand one day as they went to meet with Gai and Lee.

Maybe that's why all the pair did, as they saw the smiles hidden behind hands and secretive pokes, was glance at each other in amusement at the exact same moment.

Maybe that's why, when a Number One Knuckled Headed Ninja came up to the pair with wide eyes and an open mouth, it was Tenten who glared at him stonily and Neji who blushed. She could be a cold flame, and he could be boiling water.

They completed each other.


End file.
